About the Project

A Captive Breeding and Husbandry Research Center for the Amphibians of Andasibe, Madagascar

Madagascar supports 292 described frog species, all but one of which is endemic. Alarmingly, nearly one quarter of these frog species are threatened with extinction. Habitat destruction is the largest threat, though climate change and overharvesting for the international pet trade and local food trade also put pressure on many species. The risk of infectious disease is also notable. Recent reports indicate the globally-spreading amphibian pathogen Bd may have arrived to the island, which could be devastating for Madagascar’s unique amphibian species. Our conservation organization, Mitsinjo, has developed the first biosecure facility in country specifically for establishing captive assurance populations of amphibians to safeguard against extinction. The facility is located in Andasibe, one of the richest areas in the world in terms of frog species, with more than 100 found within a 30 km radius of town. As of February 2014, seven locally-hired technicians work at the facility, where nine frog species are maintained, including a population of the critically endangered golden mantella. We also conduct disease screening twice per year to detect if or when Bd arrives to Andasibe and a monitoring program has been launched to track changes in frog species abundance and richness long-term. This year we also started monitoring the breeding habitat of the golden mantella at Torotorofotsy Wetland. This field work compliments our captive breeding facility and feeds back into an overall strategy for local amphibian conservation we have developed for the Andasibe area.

Amphibians at Woodland Park ZooYou’ll find a great diversity of amphibians in the zoo’s Day Exhibit, including endangered species that are part of Species Survival Plan breeding programs to help maintain genetic diversity in the face of population threats